Logins or IP Whitelists? Proxy Authentication for Teams
A proxy only carries traffic once it knows the request is yours. Two methods prove it: username and password credentials, or an IP whitelist listing the addresses allowed to connect. Both are secure, and both come with every plan we sell.
For a team, the choice mostly comes down to where people work — laptops on the move, a fixed office line, or servers running scheduled jobs — and who should hold access. This guide explains each method, its trade-offs and how to choose. If nobody on the team has connected a proxy before, read it alongside how to use a proxy, and use proxies for legitimate work within each site’s terms of service.
We write these guides for e-commerce, marketing and agency teams that pay for proxies by the gigabyte.
Credentials: for people on the move
Here the gateway checks a username and password on every request. Most tools take them inside the proxy URL — http://USER:PASS@HOST:PORT — and browsers ask for them in a pop-up.
Its strength is portability. One login connects from anywhere, whether that is a manager’s laptop on hotel Wi-Fi, a home office or a cloud server. That is also its weakness: whoever holds the login can use your proxy, so it needs the same care as any company password.
IP whitelist: for offices and servers
With IP whitelisting, also called IP authentication, you list in the dashboard the addresses allowed to use your proxy. Requests from them are accepted with no credentials at all; everything else is refused.
That suits fixed infrastructure such as an office line or a server with a stable IP, since there is no password to hand out or rotate. It depends on that stability, though. Home broadband and mobile connections often change address, and each change means someone must update the list.
Which method for which part of the team
The table compares the two. A simple rule: credentials for people who move between networks, a whitelist for fixed offices and servers.
| Consideration | Username & password | IP whitelist |
|---|---|---|
| Works from | Any device or network | Whitelisted IPs only |
| Credentials | Embedded in the request | None needed |
| Suits | Laptops and changing networks | Offices and servers with a stable IP |
| Main risk | Leaked credentials | An IP change nobody updates |
| Supported here | Yes, on every plan | Yes, on every plan |
Keeping access under control as the team changes
Whichever method you use, a few habits keep the account safe as people join and leave:
- Handle proxy logins like any company password — store them in the team’s password manager, or as environment variables on servers, never in shared documents or code.
- Keep the whitelist short — approve only the addresses you actually use, and remove old ones when an office or server changes.
- Keep traffic encrypted — load sites over HTTPS so data stays protected in transit, whichever proxy protocol carries it; see proxy protocols explained.
- Change credentials if you think they have leaked, or when someone with access leaves the team.
- Protect the dashboard login — turn on two-factor authentication for the account that manages your orders.
Available on every tier
Whichever tier you buy — datacenter, residential, mobile or premium — both methods are included, and the dashboard lets you change method whenever you like. Everything sent through your account counts as your company’s activity, so limit access to the people who need it.
Plans start at $3.50/GB: see the pricing page, estimate usage on the proxy calculator, or buy now.
Match the pool to the workflow
Every pool is billed per GB and run from the same dashboard, so one team can keep low-cost volume work and high-trust checks side by side.
High-volume collection from unprotected sites, automation, SEO tools
Market research, ad verification and geo-accurate checks on protected sites
Phone-first platforms, app and mobile ad testing
Hard targets where every failed request is costly
Covering several markets in one report? MIX packages combine multi-country residential traffic in a single order. Agencies buying on behalf of clients can apply for the reseller programme.
Get your team running
Per-GB pricing from $3.50 · 55+ countries · instant delivery · 30-day validity · no traffic logs · 24/7 human support
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1
Size the job
Pick a proxy type in the proxy calculator and enter the gigabytes you expect to use to see the order total.
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2
Order and pay
Choose the pool on the proxies page and pay by card through Stripe or in crypto through Cryptomus. Each order is billed per GB and does not renew on its own.
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3
Share access
Credentials appear in the dashboard as soon as payment clears. Add them to each tool with a login or an IP whitelist, then send one test request before the real job starts.
Questions team leads ask
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